Red Blood Cell, Sighted!
by Devin Trinidad
Summary: The neutrophils get a healthy dosing of erythrocyte cuteness as they go about their patrols. Or, they find out why U-1146 is so enamored with AE-3803.
1. 2001 (The Lost Erythrocyte)

U-2001 is too old for this.

If anyone were to ask him how the whole thing started, he would merely shrug, knock back a drink of barley tea, and sigh. He's not an old neutrophil, but he sure likes to stay away from the immature adventures his close colleagues like to embark on. Days for him, other than the occasional bacterium or a virus, pass by slowly while time seems to meander without much reason for worry. One would think that 2001 would have gone mad, or at the very least, bored without the lack of any activity.

That was simply not the case.

Most of the time.

"2001," U-1146 greeted casually. Like most neutrophils, 1146 was dressed in the standard uniform of a white blood cell, but he was covered head to toe in cytosol. The dark red shade contrasted starkly against the usual white color that it had 2001 recoiling in shock. Usually 1146 would have enough sense to clean himself up immediately after a mission before seeking out a friend.

2001 definitely was not expecting his colleague at all.

"1146," 2001 answered in kind. He raised a pale eyebrow, although it wasn't apparent due to his wearing of a hat. "What brings you to this marginating pool?"

Normally, 1146 would bring up a topic that could be easily answered, 2001 would offer some insight relative to the question, and they would sit in companionable silence. It was a habit that had originated back in their youth as myelocytes. Over the course of the maturation, they kept up with the tradition and it had benefited them both; for 2001, it offered a sense of companionship that he didn't always receive due to his aloof nature and as for 1146...well, 2001 hoped that his friend also received the same sense of security and friendship.

1146 seemed to frown under the visor of his hat before vaguely commenting on the state of affairs within the body.

2001, not sure how to take this unexpected turn of events, remarked that all systems within the body were doing well.

And, for a few minutes, that was that.

Until—

"The normal cells do a fine job of replicating copies of themselves," 1146 said casually. "I wonder what their lives must be like, to continuously make copies of themselves, train their copies their ways, and finally let them go. Wouldn't that make life seem so boring and fleeting?" 1146 paused before continuing. "But they also seem so close knit; they're always playing games with each other. It's admirable, honestly, given that they're usually the ones who are targeted under bacterial or viral infections."

1146 stopped. Clearly, it was the time for 2001 to say something—anything that could provide validation or add on to 1146's observation, but 2001 didn't know what to do with this information.

Normal cells? Replication? Having fun? What was his colleague insinuating?

Shrugging, 2001 murmured, "It's their job and their nature, regardless of how mundane or trivial it may seem. All cells serve purpose; you should know this. We protect and the others serve."

1146 hummed thoughtfully as he processed those words.

"And the red blood cells...carrying those packages of oxygen or carbon dioxide continuously with little to no breaks…"

Was it 2001, or was 1146 looking wistful?

"They're always running around, destination to destination with no end in sight. Do they ever truly stop? We white blood cells are permitted breaks here and there; bacterial invasions or infections are frequent, yes, but not to the point where we never stop."

"They're born to do that," 2001 shrugged as he relaxed against the vessel wall. "At the bone marrow, they're trained so that they could travel great distances without feeling tired." Really, what was 1146 getting at with this inane conversation? Truly, it was thought provoking to think about the occupations of other cells, but this was elementary. All myelocytes knew why certain progenitor cells differentiated to become monoblasts, erythroblasts, promegakaryocytes, and so on.

2001 happened to glance at 1146 at that moment.

His colleague appeared lost in thought; his eyes were furrowed and covered in shadow, his body was hunched over as he contemplated. His dead stare, which was typical of all neutrophils, seemed even more probing and blank than normal. Typical 1146 pose, atypical cause for it.

"Why are you so interested in the erythrocytes anyway?"

"Oh. I met one who kept getting lost recently. You probably saw her in that one abrasion incident."

"Hmm, yes. That incident was definitely scarring."

1146 stared deep into 2001's eyes and barked a short note of laughter. Gone was his look of contemplation; it was now replaced with his favorite companion of the neutrophil bunch.

Finally. A reaction that 2001 fully calculated and expected.

"Well, 1146, I think we should head back to work."

"Noted."

* * *

He was patrolling an area near the foot—probably the ankle if he remembered correctly—at a capillary. Here, the roads were thin and crowded with red blood cells busy delivering the oxygen to their designated recipients. As 2001 observed from a narrow passageway, he thought back to 1146's words from earlier.

From an objective standpoint, it made sense that immune cells were allowed to have breaks every once in a while. They expended incredible amounts of energy defeating bacteria; therefore, they needed time to regroup and refresh. On the other hand, red blood cells ran around all the time, but they were trained to endure. They could withstand resistance longer and were allowed to walk on their way back on the circuit back to the lungs. For practical reasons, it made sense; different jobs yielded different needs.

So deep in thought he was, that he was completely blindsided when he heard a sudden crash and several curses from a group of passing red blood cells. Even though this situation could have been handled by others, he casually strolled from his hiding spot to see if there was any trouble. It appeared that one red blood cell (one with brilliantly red hair befitting of her cell type) had mistakenly bumped into another red blood cell (this one not as ostentatiously colored or differentiated). The situation looked like the red blood cells could deal with affairs within their circle (the redhead was already apologizing and gathering up the boxes of oxygen) so 2001 merely shrugged and moved back.

For several minutes, 2001 contented himself with his thoughts while he passively observed the red blood cells and a few platelets walking or running to their destinations. One of those who were running was a red blood cell (the very same who was the inciting incident for that accidental crash) who walked past him. Nothing interesting.

Well that in itself wasn't interesting until he saw that the clumsy red blood cell had walked past him again.

And again.

And...again.

After seeing that the red haired erythrocyte had passed by his hiding spot twenty-two times in a span of fifteen minutes, 2001 decided to step in.

Literally.

On the twenty third attempt, the erythrocyte had neglected to tighten her shoelaces. The result was, and this should have been obvious, was halfway disheartening to any aspiring red blood cell.

The scene was halfway disheartening because 2001 didn't want any cells under his watch to end up getting hurt—even if it was her own undoing.

Due to his quick reflexes and ideal spot, 2001 managed to grab her by the back of her shoulders and righted her up in record timing. For a moment, her eyes were dazed and confused; her mouth gaped open in a shrill scream that had 2001 wincing because of the pitch and frequency. Heavens above, such a sound at such punishing decibels shouldn't have been possible. However, she quickly turned to him and began apologizing—all of which he managed to deflect with the proper "oh's" and "mm-hhms".

"—orry, Mr. Neutrophil! I didn't—I mean, I'm kind of clumsy and I'm still trying to learn all my routes and—"

2001 held up a hand, which immediately quieted the red blood cell.

"Turn left on the main road and go straight for 100 micrometers. There, you'll see a checkpoint that has a reliable map and plenty of red blood cells who could help you." After observing the package of carbon dioxide that the red blood cell was carrying in her arms, he immediately deduced that her next destination was for the lungs.

Gobsmacked, the erythrocyte looked from the main road to 2001 and back. Was she dreaming? Was another neutrophil helping her out? Were all immune cells this nice?

Gratefully, she bowed again and thanked him graciously. However, when there was no reply, she found that he was no longer there. A little confused, but still overly grateful, she saluted the deserted area and headed off the main road. For now, she was content that she was back on track.

She hoped that she would find that kind, aloof neutrophil again in the future.

* * *

U-2001 couldn't help but...soften at the sight of the red blood cell saluting and then leaving with a smile so bright, that it could rival that of Dendritic Cell's. It wasn't every day that 2001 managed to see such a happy smiling cell in person. It was rare that cells would approach him, rarer still to see one so willing to thank him for such a trivial action.

Was it a habit of red blood cells to be so emotional and helpful?

Or was it just a trait of this particular red blood cell?

Briefly entertained with this thought, 2001 idled away until he heard his transceiver inform him that help was needed elsewhere.

* * *

This time, it was 2001 who approached his friend 1146 in a marginating pool. After the usual greeting and pleasantries, they lapsed back into silence. Again, the atmosphere felt safe and companionable; a far cry from the heat of battle and the call of bloodlust. It was soothing and for once, 2001 relaxed and let his back touch the wall of the blood vessel, fully at ease and a micrometer away from taking a nap, germs be damned.

"Something good happened today," 1146 commented as he watched his colleague sag against the wall in uncharacteristic tiredness.

Not a question; it was an observation.

"Depends on perspective."

"Then let me rephrase, from your perspective, did something good happen?"

2001 could have said anything. He could have said that he had a quiet time patrolling the foot. He could have said that he spent his entire patrol philosophizing and that he came across some great discovery before it disappeared like plasma. He could have said that his day was relatively peaceful other than that allergen that happened to run amok. If this were any other day, he would have said any of the above, but for some odd reason, images of a sweet smiling red blood cell who looked so earnest and trusting made him want to-to—

"I stopped a red blood cell from tripping." 2001 stared resolutely forward—no, he wasn't avoiding his companion's eyes. "It was all in a good day's work, I suppose."

Even without looking at his right, 2001 knew that 1146 was staring disbelievingly at him. Looking back, 2001 knew that this was a weak way to explain the feelings that were circulating throughout his nucleus. But really, what could he say? It wasn't a particularly big achievement or anything worth remembering. Heck, the only reason he remembered the event was because it was jarring to be thanked so honestly and with such vigor.

"It's our job to help all cells, regardless of circumstances." 2001 tried to justify. " If it was a platelet, you would do the same. It's our job."

1146 hummed in assent.

2001 could hear an underlying current of sarcasm, but he didn't mind. After all, he technically wasn't lying.

After a while, they said their goodbyes and left the marginating pool together before going their separate ways. Like any other meeting with his fellow white blood cell, 2001 was left with a sense of...not exactly loneliness, but an awareness that once again, he was alone with only his thoughts to keep him company.

On most days he was quite all right with that.

Today...today, he felt too old, too tired to be alone.


	2. 4989 (Spears are Awesome)

4989 was going to be the greatest neutrophil of all time.

Throughout his relatively young life, he had been fascinated with long, sharp objects—as is the wont of most immune cells, but we digress. When they were younger and under the tutelage of older neutrophils and the odd macrophage, he often scampered away from the exercises whenever he could. Sure, he could be the model student if he tried hard enough, but school was boring and going off on his own adventures was far more to his taste. Sometimes, 2626 would accompany him as they pretended to fight bacteria. They would create makeshift weapons or raise general chaos until they were gifted their practice knives...which led to them raising general chaos with actual weapons.

One of those makeshift weapons was a long stick (leaves were optional) with a knife tied onto it.

Throughout the years, the idea of creating his own weapons and improvising with what was in the environment stayed within him. Under regulation, he wasn't supposed to create weapons like that (he might hurt someone, which would result in complaints), but when certain circumstances arose...well, ya gotta do whatcha gotta do, ya know?

So, it was during one of his patrols that he found a single bacterium. It was the run-of-the-mill, standard antigen that would have taken a single swipe of his weapon for it to explode. It was so bland and generic that even a Band Cell, nay, a myelocyte could have destroyed! However, such generic-ness wasn't fitting for 4989's worth ethic—or lack thereof.

The thing was, 4989 was bored.

As in, he was literally melting into the infrastructure of one of the buildings as he watched grass grow. The bacterium would serve as a distraction, yes, but it would be so short lived that he would end up devolving into protons and electrons. Since when was killing germs and bacteria so boring? Yeah, it was nice living with the peace and harmony, but it got to him. After all, he was trained and born just to kill—what life would he lead if he didn't?

At that moment, the gods above smiled upon him and gifted him with a long stick (a pole really, but his inner myelocyte screamed with enthusiasm when faced with unending possibilities).

A smirk stretched out his lips to an unimaginable degree, which only emphasized the hazy look of bloodlust that shadowed his eyes as he charged forward with his weapon.

"DIE, GERM!" He then threw his spear with the strength that he didn't really need for this task and watched as it—

"What the—?"

The bacterium dodged it?

Okay, Plan B.

(In retrospect, this was probably Plan A since he was just reverting to the traditional method, which was boring and efficient—two things that 4989 didn't like).

Knife in hand, he sprinted after the surprisingly agile germ before plunging his knife deep into the contents of the bacterium's stomach. At once, blood splattered his uniform while he could hear the screams of his opponent fade into silence. Job finished, he fished his knife out of the cytosol and bits of leftover guts. Not bad, he mused, but it would have been far more enjoyable to use his spear.

"Excuse me? Er, Mr. Neutrophil?"

Huh? Who was that? Was this person referring to him?

Looking wildly around, 4989 spotted the knife of his shoddy spear was embedded into the deep red uniform of a red blood cell. If he didn't have the signature pallor of the white blood cells, his cheeks would have blushed a fine hue of red to match the erythrocyte's attire. As it were, he jogged over to the red blood cell and pulled his weapon, knife and all, from the uniform. If he wasn't apologizing so profusely, he would have admired how tightly he managed to pin the uniform against the wall with just one throw of his spear.

Geeze, he must have been stronger than he thought.

"Sorry, about that," he laughed awkwardly.

"That's all right," the red blood cell chirped. She reached into the pack that rested against her hip and took out a tissue.

What was she—?

Before he could even finish his train of thought, she immediately caught his attention with an earnest, "Here, please use this so you can clean up!"

4989 glanced disbelievingly at the tissue that she held in her dainty little hand, back to her smiling features, and back to the tissue. She didn't honestly believe that such a tiny little scrap could help "clean him up" as she claimed. But her face was so pure and innocent, that 4989 found himself hesitantly taking the tissue in his right hand. Under her expectant gaze, he wiped his face and found that while the tissue quickly absorbed the cytosol on his face, he managed to get his visage mostly clean.

It was nothing short of miraculous.

"Wow," he exclaimed with all the exuberance and brightness of a young child, "this is awesome! What kind of tissues do you use?" His eyes were shining so bright, he thought that he could blind anyone who looked directly into his eyes. The red blood cell in particular looked like she was blinking dazed tears out of her eyes at his sudden display of gratitude. "If you had more of those bad boys, I wouldn't have to visit a wash station!"

At that, the erythrocyte mirrored his bright disposition.

"Well, you're in luck!" With a slight flourish of her dainty hands, the red haired erythrocyte pulled out an entire sheaf of tissues. "I usually reserve these for a friend, but…" A slight frown tugged her normally cheery complexion downwards, which immediately put a damper on 4989's mood.

Well, we can't have that, can we?

He held up his gloved hands in front of him in a placating gesture. On purpose, he exaggerated his movements as to appear more comedic and to provide levity for the situation. (Don't tell his old mentor or some of the macrophages back at the bone marrow, but he totally used this technique to manipulate them into going easy on him...it also helped that he was one of the youngest neutrophils of the batch at that time). As per usual, his little stunt earned him a small, shy smile that had him melting as if he were playing with a platelet.

Well, not like a platelet, that was weird, but her overall sociable demeanor and pink cheeks and bright wide eyes and—What was he doing again?

"I, uh...You don't have to give me all those tissues, cause ya know...there are several wash stations reserved for neutrophils like me and—" In the name of the mother hematopoietic cells, was he really rambling about tissues? That was definitely not scripted! "—I mean—"

She shook her head in a way that said that she didn't mind being so hospitable.

"No," she smiled softly, "I really respect you neutrophils and what you do for the body. Therefore, I insist that you take these tissues."

The sheer determination to not completely melt could have rivalled any known neutrophil's rage. In the end, 4989 settled for inwardly cooing and taking her tissues from her hand.

"Thanks, Miss Red Blood Cell!"

Now, there was one thing that most cells didn't know about U-4989; he acted completely on instinct and was impulsive. (That actually described neutrophils in general, but 4989 was the poster child for this sect of the famed immune system). Once he had latched onto an idea, it was hard for him to let go—like a cestode gripping the walls of the small intestine. It would take nothing short of the end of the world for him to change his mind.

With a bright smile juxtaposing his early look of bloodlust, he took her by the hand, much to her protests and led her away.

* * *

"You seriously didn't need to do this," the red blood cell murmured shyly as she sipped a little from her cup of barley tea. "It was just a bunch of tissues that I saved up in my pack."

4989 shrugged.

"Hey, don't worry about it! I've never been given such lovely gifts before and well…" He scratched the back of his head abashedly. "I wanted to repay you before we parted ways. The body is such a large place."

"Ah, you didn't have to do that! I always—"

4989 smoothly interjected before she went on any further, "You said that you usually reserved these for a friend." From the way that the red blood cell didn't shy away from him and willingly offered her services, he assumed that this friend of hers was probably a neutrophil. If that was the case, then he had a hunch that he knew which neutrophil it was. "Does the number 1146 ring a bell?"

She nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! You're friends with him, right?"

"Yup." He leaned back in his seat as he regarded the red blood cell with a new sense of respect. Strange, he didn't think that the red blood cell 1146 befriended would be so...unlike the stoic white blood cell. "It's good to know that he has friends that look out for him while. It's rare that we get to see each other outside of the battlefield."

"Don't you guys get breaks every once in a while?"

"Of course! If we didn't, we'd probably become all bored and crazy. I mean, I'm already at my wit's end waiting for something to happen. It's only a matter of time before things get out of control."

The red blood cell nodded sagely in accordance with his words of wisdom.

"I see." She brought the cup of tea back to her lips before pausing. "Speaking of getting things out of control, why did you tie your knife to a pole, by the way? You nearly hemolyzed me."

This time 4989 did in fact turn red.

"Well, sometimes...knives just aren't enough? I promise that my aim is much better than that." 4989 grimaced as a thought came to him. "I'm glad that 2001 wasn't here to say that. He would have phagocytized me in a nanosecond if he found out that I was going against regulation again."

The erythrocyte laughed.

"I can actually relate. My mentor told me that I should start acting like a full fledged erythrocyte instead of depending on her all the time or others for directions." She shrugged her shoulders in mock sadness and self-deprecation. "Well, it's a lot better than getting phagocytized, I suppose."

"You get lost?" That was interesting to know. It would have made sense if she were a normal cell because they were usually confined to their apartments due to the cloning business, but in her case, it was an altogether different story. "But you're a red blood cell! You're supposed to know where to go—you guys get everywhere!" At her furiously flushing face—so adorable!—he quickly amended with, "You're different than the others, huh?"

"I'm fairly new; I just enucleated recently and left the bone marrow. I'm allowed to get lost once in a while. What about you?" She asked in an offhand manner. "You're a lot different than the other white blood cells that I have ever met."

"I should hope so." He countered easily. All those days as the runt of the litter in his circle of friends actually did him some good in the comebacks department. "Imagine if all of us happened to be geniuses like me? We'd be throwing spears all over the place!"

The red blood cell looked worried for a moment before gracing him with another bright smile.

"No, you're special all on your own."

For a moment, 4989 felt something deep in his chest, something that told him that he should make her smile again—Wait! No! Make her laugh and smile just for him. Before he could crack a joke or act like his usual childlike self, the red blood cell threw her recyclable cup into a bin and waved a cheerful goodbye.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Neutrophil! Goodbye!"

As he stumbled over farewells, he watched as her form mingled back into the indistinguishable masses of red blood cells.

* * *

4989 hummed a little as he strode through the blood vessels, always on the lookout for any threats. As he did so, he let his mind wander about events of his past few patrols. One subject in particular caught and held his attention like one of those caps the normal cells would wear if they were under viral invasion: the red blood cell. It wasn't that she was a particularly outstanding blood cell (well, apart from her fitting red hair), but it was her kindness. Although 4989 liked to believe that cells lived in peace and harmony throughout the body, there was a widespread uneasiness that seemed to emanate profusely from the non-immune community.

Red blood cells would often work together and laugh about their jobs as they ran across the body. Normal cells would play cards with their roommates and several of their neighbors to pass the time. What did the white blood cell community have as a whole? The general image the body had of the immune system was that they were all well trained, disciplined fear mongers who lived for the feel of bacterial flesh within their jaws. While true, that's not what made the immune cells what they were! They were born to protect, to serve the other cells so that the body could survive.

But who would listen to a white blood cell who liked using whatever objects at his disposal to rid bacteria? Certainly not the red blood cells who were passing by him hurriedly.

Really, the cells that usually got along with the white blood cells with little to no prejudice were the dendritic cells and the platelets. Out of the other cell types within the body that was kind of sad and heartbreaking to know that the majority would rather do away with the immune system—bacterial or viral invasion notwithstanding. And yet…

And yet that one red blood cell didn't begrudge him any kindness! She willingly gave him tissues and didn't scold him for nearly spearing her into hemolysis. Wasn't she scared? (He hoped not. He rather liked her compassionate nature). If so, she hid it well and 4989 would be damned if he didn't find her intriguing.

In a world where the general populace would have immediately screamed at him nearly spearing a red blood cell, she was the only one to have lent a hand.

Selfishly, a part of him hopes that he would see her again someday.


	3. 2626 (Misadventures in Fibrin)

"DIE, GERMS!"

The loud screams of his enemies echoed through his ears as 2626 tried in vain to wriggle his way out of a trap. Unfortunately, he could feel his bonds constricting his movements; the feel of ropes and weights held him down. Furiously, he tried to kick his feet for traction, but apparently his captors also thought about other avenues of escaping.

"Hmm, they're smarter than I thought," he muttered proudly despite himself. However, he thought wickedly, were they expecting this? Despite the tightness of his bonds, the neutrophil managed to get his arm to reach around his back and grab his knife. Just a few more moments and—

"Oy, Big Brother Neutrophil is trying to escape!"

"Big Brother, using your knife is cheating!"

"You shouldn't cheat, Big Brother."

2626 found himself rolling his eyes underneath the fringe of his bangs. Still, he had to hand it to those platelets, even if he couldn't see their eyes, their annoyance and cuteness radiated off them. Out of respect for their need for play, he let go of the handle of his knife and pretended to struggle even more.

"Help, I'm being attacked by vicious parasites!" Dramatically, he flailed about as the platelets tried their best to hold down his shaking form. "Have you not any mercy for a poor neutrophil such as I?"

"Never!"

And a dozen small bodies dropped upon him.

Although he was quite used to discomfort and pain, he couldn't help but release a gigantic heaving breath when he felt the impact. Were the platelets supposed to be this heavy? Or were they wearing their packs with the coagulation factors?

"Sorry, Big Brother!"

2626 wanly smiled up at one of the platelets who heard his small gasp of discomfort. Even when they were supposed to be playing the parts of common enemies, some of them were still sweet enough to apologize. And some of them…

Well…

"Begone, germ!"

2626 spluttered as his face was suddenly splashed by a cup of water.

And some of them were just plain evil whenever they didn't act the part of the helpful platelet.

"That's it," 2626 muttered loud for the perpetrator to hear, "death to all!"

And with a roar that could have put the _Anisakis_ parasites to shame, 2626 leaped up to his feet, which dislodged most of the platelets that hung off him. For a moment, he stood triumphant as the platelets screamed in mock terror.

And yet.

All of his glory fell to the wayside when he teetered to the side and—

"Damn it."

* * *

AE-3803, as per usual, was minding her own business until she saw that one of her favorite platelets began tugging her in a direction opposite to her delivery route. The redhead tried to protest because she didn't want to get lost this time, but it was all for nothing. The erythrocyte beheld the platelet's most innocent expression and caved immediately.

It was not a proud moment for the red blood cell.

"All right! All right!" The red blood cell giggled as she found herself surrounded by a bunch of other platelets. All of them were clamoring for her attention by either tugging at her arms or pushing her legs in a certain direction. As she complied, she found that there was an adult cell wrapped in what appeared to be layers of fibrin and coagulation factors. "Umm…"

"Big Sister Red Blood Cell," one of the platelets called out. Once she got the red blood cell's attention, she asked, "Can you watch Big Brother Neutrophil? We need to get scissors or else we can't get him out!"

"All of you?" AE-3803 couldn't help but ask disbelievingly. "Can't—"

"Please?"

The erythrocyte couldn't help but agree. No one could resist the pull of the platelets.

With that, the dozen or so platelets began storming off towards where they stored their scissors. Wherever that was.

"Erm, are you okay?" AE-3803 knelt down to the fallen neutrophil, slightly awed that the immune cell allowed himself to be taken over by a bunch of cute platelets. Unlike her friend, U-1146, his hair had bangs that completely covered his eyes. Due to some roughhousing, his bangs were plastered to his face—maybe the platelets had thrown some water on him. Further observation had her noticing that from his struggle, his hat had fallen off, leaving his receptor askew. "You look a little worse for wear."

"Ah, I'm technically not on duty so the platelets decided to use me as their playmate since their assigned region isn't undergoing construction. Unfortunately, they might have overdone it with the whole ambush-and-capture aspect of their games." The neutrophil squirmed under his bonds as he tried to make himself more comfortable. "We were supposed to play tea party but the boys decided to do...this."

AE-3803 nodded in understanding before wondering if the neutrophil could actually see her. Did she need to say something to affirm that she agreed? How much time had passed? Would it still be considered acceptable to answer now? Before AE-3803 could analyze her social faux pas further, the neutrophil spoke again.

"You're the red blood cell who likes to hang out with 1146?"

"Yup! I haven't seen him in a while, though." She knelt down beside him and asked, "Can you see anything under your hair?"

"Hmm? My hair?" He chuckled much to her confusion. "It's supposedly against regulation, but I like keeping it long because it makes me look awesome, yeah?"

"Erm...but can you see anything?"

"Not really, no."

Perturbed by this sudden reveal of information, the red blood cell gasped, "But how you can defeat bacteria?"

2626 smirked at the erythrocyte's naivete before answering, "Trade secret."

It took a moment before AE-3803 realized that he was probably making fun of her. With a scowl, she rolled her eyes, she made as if to leave, but 2626 pulled her back down with a question.

"How's 1146, by the way?"

"Fine? I think?" She furrowed her brows as she contemplated his unforeseen question. "Why do you ask? I thought that you were one of his closest colleagues?"

2626 nodded, pleased that she somehow recognized him.

"His head is up in the clouds more often than not. I thought you would know why." He shrugged, but he only succeeded in moving a tiny fraction of a bit—the fibrin must have dried to the point where it would be nigh impossible to move. "Miss Red Blood Cell? Favor?"

She hummer in assent, wondering what he was going to ask next.

"Do you mind using one of the buckets the platelets use to douse the fibrin in water? In my experience, fibrin doesn't stick as well when constantly wet."

Nodding, the redhead quickly hastened to do what she was told. If there was one thing to be admired about red blood cells, it was that they could move faster than the entire immune system when properly motivated. As her hurried footsteps faded into the distance, 2626 found himself musing the past few moments of conversation with the vivacious redhead.

Unlike the others, he had a gut feeling that wouldn't let him go, especially concerning the relationship between 1146 and his red blood cell. When he was a young myelocyte, he found it easier to rely on his other senses, hence why he wore his hair long. That, and it made him look cool. Regardless, gut instinct and natural observations utilizing his other senses always served him well whether it be in battle or in everyday situations.

When he had first got a glimpse of his friend and the erythrocyte together, he had hinted at something to 4989, but the goofball didn't understand. Considering that they were blood cells with differing types and abilities, 2626 understood, but at the same time...wasn't it a little too obvious that the lines of professionalism and friendship blurred so unevenly that it became this weird grey area?

Although.

It could have been 2626's naturally bad eyesight.

Still, once he had conversed with the redhead, he felt like he could relate to 1146. The girl was very kind and outgoing, a little scatterbrained, and not as quick on the uptake. That was okay anyhow—1146 had the same problem when he wasn't killing germs.

She just had this welcoming aura that could easily bend others to her will...which was kind of terrifying if you asked 2626. Better to leave her in the dark about that interesting trait of hers.

Harried footsteps and the sounds of sloshing water could be heard aiming in his direction.

"Oh, by the way, could you warn—"

She outdid herself.

Two buckets of ice cold water were poured over him with barely any time for him to spout out his warning.

"—me when you're about to pour water all over me?"

Was he expecting laughter? Definitely.

A mumbled apology? That was ideal, but rare.

To see her angelic face mere micrometers from his own? Nope. Not at all.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I kind of tripped and dropped the water all over your face and not the fibrin and I'm—" Her face, much to his utter delight, suddenly lit up in realization as she began struggling against the pull of fibrin. Unfortunately, that only led to him being jostled around and while it wasn't particular pleasant, it wasn't a bad thing either.

The view was quite nice.

As she continued to struggle, he could hear the sound of whispers and rumbles from surrounding cells. He didn't hear any neutrophils (he was the one on patrol anyway), but there was quite a crowd of red blood cells and normal cells standing around and just talking. 2626, for the most part, didn't care. After all, it was just one incident in their short lives, it had no impact on anything else. On the other hand, the gut feeling that he had prided himself for having told him that he should probably calm down the erythrocyte before she exacerbated the suggestive position they were in.

(A part of him wondered if she had caught onto that fact or their audience, but he'd rather not take that chance).

"Relax," he pursed his lips for a second before allowing a catlike smirk to darken his features just a bit, "Miss Red." Hmm, did she like that nickname? "We just have to sit tight until the platelets come back with their scissors."

"Umm…"

How come he wasn't informed that erythrocytes looked quite fetching when their hemoglobin rose to the surface of their cellular membrane? Her blush was so adorable!

"But I'm lying on top of you...doesnt it...isn't it…" She couldn't continue; it was far too embarrassing of her to continue further.

"So you are. It doesn't really matter, Miss Red!" He put on a little cheer and smiled gently at her. "I've been through worse, actually. Have I ever told you about the time I was up against a _Toxicara canis_ parasite? I had to wait for Eosinophil to show up—I was a micrometer away from dying!"

For several minutes he regaled her with stories of when he was a rookie neurotrophil to when he was a wee myelocyte who wanted to play tag. In return, the young red blood cell laughed and countered with her own stories of getting lost in the body and what adventures she had been up to. It was an overall nice chat—it was made even more special by the way she continuously relaxed into him as time went by. If there was one thing 2626 hated, it was when people were awkward or uncomfortable around him.

She far exceeded any of his expectations, that was for certain.

Sooner than he would have liked to admit, however, the platelets had arrived. Each of those tiny little cells bore a pair of scissors and matching looks of exasperation and cheer as they saw that not only Big Brother Neutrophil had gotten himself twisted in the fibrin, but also Big Sister Red Blood Cell had managed to fall on top of him. Even by his standards, this was a bit much for any public affair.

"Well, looks like the kids are here. See? Not so bad, right?"

"Oh, no! Not at all!"

The hemoglobin in her cheeks proved a different story, but 2626 let her be.

"Please hold still!" The platelets chorused.

As if working under some hive mind, the childlike cell's began trimming away the fibrin to release the red blood cell first and then subsequently releasing the neutrophil moments after.

Once free from his bonds, the neutrophil pretended to stalk after several of the platelets who were the most vocal in his demise, which scared most of them away. Satisfied that he had fulfilled his duty as designated babysitter, he turned back to the red blood cell who was busy giggling to herself. Despite himself, he ended up softly smiling as well.

"Do you like playing with the platelets? They seem pretty fond of you."

He shrugged.

"Who wouldn't? Besides, because of them I got to spend some time with a charming red blood cell."

Wow, she could get really red when shamelessly complimented.

He noted that.

For future reference.

For science.

"Anyway, I better return to my duties." He waved a goodbye, but before he could disappear into a transmigration vent, he felt a faint tugging at his sleeve. He raised an eyebrow at that action, but turned around to see that the erythrocyte was looking up at him with concern.

"Something wrong?"

"Bend down."

Perplexed and apprehensive, he bent down to her level before she took off one of her gloves and began stroking his bangs until they appeared to be symmetrical and even before his eyes.

"There you go!"

"Umm…"

"I'm not sure if you've noticed," she turned away from him with a renewed look of embarrassment on her face, "but your hair got messed up when I threw water on you and I kind of remember you from before and you like your hair in front of your eyes even though you have beautiful eyes—"

"Wait."

"Hmm?"

"I have beautiful eyes?"

"Yes?"

Noting that for future reference as well.

"Don't worry too much about it, Miss Red—" He took off her hat, ignoring her squawks of indignation, and proceeded to ruffle her hair "—and get back to work. Later!"

* * *

"Hey, 4989."

"You're up to something, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You only seek me out whenever you want to enact some master scheme where I always get the blame."

"Tsk, tsk," 2626 clicked his tongue, "we were myelocytes back then! We're neutrophils, which means we're older, more experienced, and—"

"In your case, ten times as immature."

"Last time I checked, you were the only who used sticks and steamed buns as your weapons."

"It's called innovation and ingenuity. It's not my fault that others can't see it."

2626 rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Fine, we'll save that gem of a conversation for later. For now, though…" Suddenly, 2626 straightened and whispered, "Actually, tell me again about that one incident when we were up against that allergen? When you decided to climb on top of 2048's shoulders?"

"Hey, tactics are fair game against a viral invasion. Killer T-Cells don't know how to improvise and have fun!" 4989 thought for a moment. "And I like being tall."

Feminine laughter, light and airy, but interspersed with unseemly snorts, could be heard behind 4989's back.

4989's mouth never looked so good on the floor. It was that wide open.

"Nice seeing you again, Miss Red!"

"Nice to see you, too, Mr. Neutrophil!" She turned to 4989 and greeted him as well.

"Wait you know each other?"

"He nearly impaled me with a knife on a stick!"

2626 laughed.

That girl was definitely something.


	4. 2048 (Intoxicated Hugs)

2048 wasn't a big fan of traveling through the vital organs, but he quite liked visiting the hepatocytes. Maybe it was their inherent beauty that all of them seemed to possess—they were _very_ easy on the eyes. Or maybe it was their charming conversations, if he wanted to think harder on it. But what really made them the ideal partners for companionship was that they were near unfazed by the sight of unruly cells—as the liver was the site for the majority of the erythrocyte population whenever the body was intoxicated by toxins.

They didn't bat an eye when faced with the presence of unusual cells.

Like him.

As a neutrophil, he was a cell that didn't need to spend so much time in the liver other than an occasional sweep of the area for any bacterial threats. However, he couldn't help but enjoy the atmosphere of the liver—everything was so relaxed and welcoming. He could take a break from the fighting and the blood that usually came with the job as an immune cell without much worry.

And well…

While he appreciated the sight of other cells like the erythrocytes and his fellow neutrophils, they just weren't worth the view. Besides, he should have a chance at treating himself every so often, right?

So, it was no wonder, after a trying patrol near the head and the pharynx, he decided to make a trip towards the liver. He had thought about inviting his friends, but he quickly discarded that idea.

For one, 2626 and 4989 weren't exactly the most _mature_ of the lot.

For two, 1146 and 2001 were _too_ _mature_ to go along with his idea.

He simply wasn't going to ask random immune cells to go with him and he certainly didn't have the social clout to ask random red blood cells to accompany him.

Going by himself wasn't the most ideal option, but his main mission was to unwind and possibly have some fun—chat up the hepatocytes and hope that there wasn't any bacteria to deal with.

Coincidentally, at this time, many of the red blood cells were looking too sluggish and sleepy. Upon further inspection, most were heading to the liver as well. It took a few seconds to recall why the red blood cells would appear like this before he remembered a lesson from his days at the bone marrow. The body must have been consuming copious amounts of alcohol—not enough to warrant a system shutdown or excess sluggishness, but enough for members of the red blood cell population to take the effects the hardest.

The thought of entering the liver with so many other cells didn't seem too pleasing, but he forged ahead. He made it this far, might as well see it to the end.

Once he entered the liver, he was greeted with a blond hostess. Her hair was swept in an elegant updo—the regality of which only accented her slimming figure. Whereas the macrophages opted for a more sturdy uniform, the hepatocytes dressed to impress.

2048, even if this wasn't his first time, still felt a hint of a blush caress his cheeks as he was escorted by the lovely cell. There were many perks to being a neutrophil, but since most of them were male, one of the downfalls was that talking to beautiful women weren't one of their strong suits.

Once he was settled in a strategic place at the hostess club, he found himself merely observing the premises. As expected, there was an inordinate amount of red blood cells taking refuge from the recent intake of alcohol. Some of them, seasoned veterans, took to the alcohol with a slight flush in their cheeks and a jaunty skip in their step.

Others...not so much.

Some of the rookies had to hold onto their mentors for balance while others stuttered their way through a haze of incoherent babbling. Once seated, they were treated to several drinks and polite conversation from the hepatocytes. Unfortunately for 2048, the hepatocytes had to prioritize the intoxicated erythrocytes: company policy. He didn't mind; he had hoped for some company, but his timing was off this time around.

So, he took a seat at one of the barstools, away from the majority of the cells. Although he stuck out, him being unnaturally white and pale against the deep red of the erythrocytes, not many paid him any mind. Those that did, however, merely looked at him in wary apprehension before turning away to their enzymes.

As time passed, he watched some erythrocytes finally become detoxicated and leave the premises. However, it seemed that the body was either continuously drinking alcohol, or the erythrocytes decided to take a day off. Either way, the club wasn't empty for long.

Somewhere down the line, the neutrophil spotted one young red blood cell make her way through the doors. Her face was flushed dark just like her hair, but those features went unnoticed when he saw that she swayed like a young myelocyte trying out his weapons for the first time. (No, he's not drawing from his personal experiences, thank you very much). Once a hepatocyte spots her, the red headed erythrocyte begins babbling about the wonders of alcoholism. Bemused, the liver cell asks politely if the red blood cell came with a party or if she wants to ride out the intoxication herself.

Bored with that particular interaction, 2048 allows himself to idle in his thoughts. Perhaps he should get going back to his favorite marginating pool? Or perhaps he should do some recon at the elbow? Word was going around that there was a slight abrasion situation, but there were already white blood cells stationed there…

Before 2048 could contemplate his situation further, there was a sound of a muffled thud.

Next to him.

He glanced at his periphery only to be assaulted by the deep color of red. Contrary to his earlier assessment, there were actually three different hues of red, the darkest of which colored her cheeks. Come to think of it, the red blood cell looked very familiar…

"You're 1146's," she paused for a second as she hiccuped, "friend, yeah? Whatcha doin'?"

Surreptitiously, his dark eyes glanced at her. No drink. One of the hepatocytes must have neglected to give her an enzyme to break down the alcohol. Better have that rectified immediately.

Without even sparing her a second glance, 2048 turns in his barstool.

"Excuse me," he calls out to a passing hepatocyte waitress, "can you get—"

"Are you ignoring me!"

"—her some enzymes? OH SHI—"

2048's mind stuttered to a halt and did a little breakdance when the erythrocyte thrust herself onto him and began profusely sobbing into his chest. Meanwhile, the hepatocyte gave him a little smirk before hustling off to a cordoned area where the enzymes were presumably stored. Silently cursing the hepatocyte for leaving him alone with this hysterical red blood cell, he almost missed the mutters under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Hey...whatsyer name 'gain? I'm kinda...kinda," she blinked dazedly at him, cheeks still flushed. "Kinda tired and my...and my mentor ain't here."

"U-2048," he replied quietly. Good grief, what he was supposed to do this in situation? There was nothing in his years of training that detailed how to treat red blood cells who were inebriated. Come to think of it, weren't red blood cells already emotional? Didn't the effects of alcohol exacerbate that?

He patted her shoulder in what could have passed for a hesitant point of contact, but it was enough to push the young cell to her limits. The floodgates in her eyes immediately ruptured, which prompted a new deluge of tears and wracking sobs.

Was this...was this normal?

Out of morbid curiosity and habit, the white blood cell examined his surroundings and found himself staring into the countless pairs of eyes who were staring at him. Unlike earlier, the red blood cells looked upon him with a looks of fear and disgust. Some red blood cells pointed at him—distrust in their eyes. Others whispered amongst themselves. If 2048's ears weren't bombarded with the sounds of the distressed erythrocyte, he would have heard that they were accusing him of taking advantage of the red blood cell. Since he couldn't, all he could do was hazard a guess that they were slandering the both of them in that weird way most cells were wont to do when faced with the unknown—in this case, his presence at the liver.

Which was fair, in a way. White blood cells weren't known to traverse the liver's fine establishments with nothing more than relaxation on his mind.

Again, the thought that his timing was bad crossed his mind.

Well, he could either take the insults or he could do something that could partially heal the reputation he was making for himself—and potentially, for the rest of his immune cell brethren.

"Hey, Miss—" He glanced at her cap. Maybe, if he were to make this personal he could reach her and make her stop crying. Wasn't that what macrophages did? Establish a friendly connection and manipulate the relationship to their benefit? Or was that more of a feature of the dendritic cells? Regardless, he couldn't dig his grave any deeper, might as well go down in flames. "—AE-3803, why don't you calm down! I bet it's your first time here in the liver, right?"

Please, for the love and for the good of the body, make it so that his intuition was correct!

For some odd reason, the body listened.

AE-3803 collapsed in his arms and quieted, only the smallest of sniffles and whimpers escaped her. Much to his surprise, her hold on him tightened, but the whispers and the stares from the rest of the patrons in the establishment hadn't abated. In fact—

"Ugh, look at that stupid white blood cell."

"He's not even trying to calm her down."

"Is he hurting her?"

Whatever. As if he would let those cells' emotions and comments get to him.

Besides, he should get back to taking care of the red blood cell.

The red blood cell muttered, "'m sorry! 'sjust 'm worried about 1146 and—" She sniffled as he robotically rubbed circles into her back. As 2048 did so, he completely missed out on what she said next. Luckily for him, she continued to mutter under her breath until it wasn't under her breath so much as she was shouting into his ear! "1146's workin' too hard! It's 'cause of Cancer and—"

Wait, what!

Quickly, he placed a gloved hand over her mouth, trying to shuch her from alerting the other patrons that there might be something amiss. Unfortunately, seeing that they were in an even more pressing situation, it only fanned the flames of the red blood cells' ire. Hopefully, nothing would come of it.

"Okay, Miss 3803, 1146 is doing just fine! I just saw him on one of my patrols several hours ago!" He muttered quickly in a sort of reassuring manner. "He looked—"

How do you exactly describe bloodthirsty and terrifying in a flattering manner?

"—er, competent as usual?"

She abruptly stopped crying and grasped his collar, pulling him closer to her. If it wasn't for the brightness in her eyes and her genuine emotions of happiness, he would have thought her pretending. Surely she would have noticed that by now, their proximity, while close before, was now crossing into the unsettling grey territory of friendly bordering on scandalous.

If this was a hepatocyte, he wouldn't have minded as much, but this was 1146's friend...and she was still intoxicated!

"He's okay! He's not beating himself up from the traumatizing encounter he had with the bad guy?"

Did she...just regain her ability to speak without slurring? Was the alcohol wearing off?

"Er, yes."

She smiled.

"Let's celebrate, Mr. 2048!"

That was unexpected. Not unpleasant. Just. Were mood swings a normal occurence when under the influence?

"Sure."

And she was upon him again. This time, she hooked her hands against his hat, which pulled against the receptor which was connected to the back of his—

"Hey! Don't damage—" His vision was briefly obscured by the inside of her hat. "—neutrophil equipment!" He fingered her hat which was lay on top of his head. "Why did you give me your hat?"

She didn't answer. It wasn't like she needed to in the first place. Instead of her red cap that all red blood cells were supposed to wear, she had decided to don on his white cap. Normally, he would have been irritated—4989 had decided to prank him that one time when they had just graduated and well, 2048 wasn't pleased—but he took one look at her pleased expression and found himself inwardly cooing at her.

Coincidentally, the whispers and the rumors died down as well.

2048 counted that as a win.

Until there was a massive weight that settled against his chest—and it was nuzzling him.

"Erm, what exactly are you doing?"

Instead of answering, the red blood cell yawned and settled against him, a contented look on her face as she drifted off to sleep.

This was...not exactly ideal, but it wasn't too bad either. At least the corner where he was currently sitting at was no longer being scrutinized by others. And she was warm. And cute. And it would be really rude to awake her.

"I'm sorry for the delay, but here's your enzyme you ordered!"

2048 raised an eyebrow at the proffered drink.

Was it just him, or did the hepatocyte delay on purpose?

* * *

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you or sleep on—"

2048 waved away her concerns as he led her out of the liver.

"It's all right, Miss 3803," he smirked at her growing discomfort at his dismissal of her concerns. "We should hang out some more, you seem pretty nice to hang around with. I can understand why 1146 likes you so much!"

"H-h-hang out? More?" AE-3803's bulged out even further as his later words were processed. "He-he what?"

2048 chuckled before gently pushing the stuttering red blood cell n the direction of the lungs so that she could finish her deliveries.

"Yeah, we should hang out some more." He bent at the waist, grabbed her hand and lightly kissed the back of her gloved knuckles. "Get to know each better, what do you say?"

"Aaaaahhhhhhh—"

"Excellent. Gotta go! See ya, Miss 3803!"


	5. 1146 (Sweet Treats and Jealousy)

U-1146, much to his exasperation and bemusement, didn't understand what was going on with the rest of his neutrophil crew. After most patrols or missions, he would often rest in a neutrophil marginating pool where 2001 would often visit him and vice versa. It was a get together that 1146, despite all the odds, looked forward to whenever he needed the down time. However, resting with his stoic friend right after grueling missions became an exceedingly rare occasion.

It worried him.

So he decided to seek out his other friends.

Unfortunately...they all seemed to be rather preoccupied with something else. For reasons beyond him, his coworkers—his best friends—seemed to have something on their minds.

If he was worried before, he was now outright panicking.

There was just something off...not in a way that could disrupt the receptor that rested at the back of his head, but it was enough for him to pace the vessels near the upper strata in the epidermis of the arm. When he was overly excited or anxious, he often found that working his energy into something productive helped.

If he found some bacteria, it would get all the more rewarding.

As he passed from one alleyway to another, he heard the sound of a familiar voice echoing. It took a few seconds, but he knew that voice.

Ah, he thought with a fond smile, it was Miss Red Blood Cell. Eager to talk to her about her most recent adventures—she also seemed a bit busy these days with her own schedule—the white blood cell ventured out of one of the alleyways. When he was still a few paces away from her, he could say that she was tripping over her laces. It was a sigh that made 1146 smile with exasperated fondness. Looks like old habits die hard, he mused.

Just when he was about to announce his presence, U-1146 saw something that he didn't think he would ever see.

It was U-2001.

And… And he was smiling?

Carefully, so as to not arouse the interest or the suspicions of the two blood cells before him, he edged back into the alleyway. Normally, he would have sought out his teammate and friend with fanfare, but this...was a situation that didn't sit well with him.

For some odd reason, he felt this sensation in boiling within his cytosol. It was strange and uninviting.

He didn't like that feeling one bit. The longer he looked at the pair— _they were laughing about something!_ —the stronger that feeling became.

All of a sudden, when he had half a mind to confront of the both of them, the erythrocyte dashed out of the area. For a moment, 1146 contemplated coming out into the open to confront his best friend about their relationship— _why? it was strange what he wanted to do_ —and what? What did he plan to do after that?

Just as suddenly as she left, the red blood cell came back with a bright smile on her face and something in her hands.

It was...what was it?

It looked like…

No.

Not even the straitlaced 2001 would have the courage or the stupidity to consume the cones of glucose that were only meant for erythrocytes!

Oh.

1146 could feel his face freezing into the death throes of shock.

He did.

2001 nobly wore a mask of pure indifference, but on the inside, 1146 could see that the neutrophil looked like he was about to undergo PCD.

That can't be good.

No sooner did 1146 have that thought when 2001 started clutching his head and coughing.

Mildly bemused and concerned, 1146 was a micrometer away from reaching out to his friend when _his_ red blood cell took off and returned with a cup filled with steaming tea.

It was such a strange occurrence that 1146 had no choice but to leave.

All the while, he couldn't help but see the look of concern and worry in AE-3803's eyes...and how he thought that look should have been directed at him.

* * *

1146 had taken care to avoid all marginating pools unless strictly necessary.

It wasn't that he was mad at his friend, per se, but 1146 found that he wanted to be left alone for a little bit. The feeling in his cytosol had retreated back into the corners of his mind and he hoped against all hope that it would stay that way.

As the dutiful neutrophil patrolled, he began to notice a slight disturbance ahead. Urged on by his sense of duty and apprehension, he approached the area and was rewarded with the sight of several squads of white blood cells cleaning up after what appeared to be a recent battle. It appeared that another batch of _Staphylococcus Aureus_ had once again tried to infiltrate the body.

"Yo! Ya busy, U-1146?" It was one of the newer recruits, straight out of the bone marrow.

146 inclined his head slightly in affirmation before grabbing some of his enzymatic spray help with the clean up.

It was a fairly monotonous affair.

Most cells thought that immune cells led pretty distressing, adventurous lives. While that was true, their jobs also included what happened after the battles happened and all the blood was shed. Which meant, cleaning operations were the norm and all immune cells were supposed to clean after themselves. True, at times the clean up was tedious and time-consuming, but 1146 found it sort of relaxing.

And a job was a job, no point in complaining about it.

Once he finished an entire batch of bacteria, 1146 helped load the leftovers into the pots and pans that the macrophages used to cook food. 1146 didn't see the appeal of cooking the bacterial waste; they tasted the same no matter how much seasoning and simmering was done. ( _4989 insisted that the macrophage's expertise with food actually made the microorganism's cell wall actually taste palatable; 1146 didn't believe him_ ).

Regardless of what the neutrophil thought, 1146 soon finished and began to survey the area when a welcome sight graced his eyes.

A young red blood cell with hair the color of bright red was walking in his general direction with a cheery smile on her face. She was so caught up in the recesses of her mind that she didn't notice that the neutrophil began walking slowly up to her, intent on saying hello and possibly going out for barley tea. However, before he managed a few strides in her direction, someone beat him to it.

"Miss Red Blood Cell! It's great to see you again!"

That voice.

U-1146's mind stuttered to a halt as he saw that one of his oldest friends, 4989, practically pounced on the young cell before energetically describing the events of the recent battle. Due to her good nature, the red blood cell began to "ooh" and "ah" at the right parts while offering some generous tidbits of her own stories to add to the general conversation.

Bemused, 1146 made as to jump in as well, when again, the red blood cell ran off in a random direction.

And then came running back with the same thing that she had given 2001 only hours prior to this incident.

For the love of—

"This...this is incredible! Can I have more!" 4989 wolfed down his treat with voracity that would have sent cells and bacteria alike running for the hills. Despite the horrifying image that even sent 1146's mind reeling, AE-3803 chuckled softly and handed 4989 a tissue so that he could wipe his face.

"I don't think so, 4989! You might get addicted to them!"

Since when they were so close?

1146 stalked off.

The feeling of something brewing deep in his cytosol was haunting him every step of the way.

* * *

"1146, you okay? You look like you want to commit apoptosis."

2626, one of the most mischievous neutrophils 1146 ever had the pleasure of meeting, idly ate the rest of his cone of glucose that his red blood cell friend had given him moments prior. It was a surprising little treat—not because neutrophils weren't meant to process such sweet fare—but because he didn't think that he would meet the cute erythrocyte so soon. After a brief conversation about how the glucose could excite his taste buds and his offer to treat her to some bacteria some time (" _I appreciate the thought, but I'd rather pass!_ "), they parted ways.

And then 2626 managed to bump into 1146 who looked rather flushed— _a colorful abnormality that didn't cause him much concern_.

No, what really concerned the young neutrophil was that his older friend looked like he was punched in the gut and chewed alive by a _Vibrio_ bacterium.

1146 turned away, allowing his cap's shadows to cover up his eyes.

"I'm fine, 2626. I'm just thinking about some things."

2626 looked worriedly at his comrade, a question burning in the eyes that hid behind his snowy bangs. Although 1146 was quite blunt and truthful at times, right now, he didn't feel like discussing his reservations concerning two incidents, which heavily featured his red blood cell friend. Although he knew that 2001 and 4989 were at no fault, that still didn't stop him acting just the tiniest bit surly.

He could still act professionally even under duress!

"Seriously, I'm getting antsy and murderous just looking at you!" 2626 huffed out a small breath when he saw that his friend wasn't responding to his approach. So, he tried another angle that might help. "Look, I know that you usually talk to 2001, but you're free to talk to me if you want," 2626 offered.

Although he would never admit it, 2626 kind of felt unnerved when he saw that his friend was clearly ailing from something. Maybe 4989 was right. Perhaps their eldest comrade was going through some trauma after their last few missions—Cancer Cell being one of their more lethal adventures.

1146 smiled wanly. "Don't worry too much about me, 2626. I think I'm just going through some issues right now. Nothing too big."

2626, if his bangs had allowed vision, would have let 1146 seeing him roll his eyes skyward and back.

"Fine. Lie all you want. Just know that we're all here for you, pissy or not."

"Very mature of you, 2626."

"I aim to please."

For a moment, the both of them stood in silence before 1146 turned to his friend with a blank look in his eyes.

"Not a word of this to anyone."

"You have my word."

"You can't tell 4989, 2626."

"Consider my lips sealed."

"And if Dendritic Cell corners you in a dark alleyway, you're still going to take this secret to the grave."

"...I'll have to pass on that," 2626 muttered. "Dendritic Cell is too powerful to be crossed."

"True." 1146 faced forward and spoke in a voice so low, 2626 wondered whether or not he was actually talking. "I don't know, 2626. For some odd reason, there are these...random occurrences where I get this feeling inside of me that makes me feel so...angry? I suppose? I'm not sure how to explain it, but it happened twice when 2001 and 4989 were around."

2626's eyes widened.

"So you are mad at them!"

1146 emphatically shook his head.

"No. It's not anger. It's something more than that."

2626's eyes furrowed. What could 1146 possibly be talking about?

"Could you maybe elaborate a little more? Was it specifically what 2001 or 4989 did? Or maybe something else?"

1146 thought for a moment before hitting upon an idea.

For some odd reason, the incidences only happened when one of his friends were there...with his favorite red blood cell. Perhaps it was mere coincidence? Maybe he should go visit his friends separately and see what actually happened...seriously, what sort of ailment only occurred when he saw that his best friends hanging out with his favorite red blood cell? Maybe he just wasn't feeling well…

The silence was suddenly broken by 2626's transceiver informing them that he was needed elsewhere.

"Ah, I hate to cut this short," 2626 grumbled in apology. "But, as you know…"

"Duty calls." 1146 nodded in understanding.

Maybe he would solve his emotional crisis later.

* * *

2048 isn't the most touchy-feely sort of guy— _no, that's more 4989's territory_ —but he does have a sixth sense sort of intuition. He had been sitting at a random spot on a secluded bench when he had been adorably accosted by Miss Red Blood Cell—the same one that liked to tag along with 1146 and the one who looked really cute when flustered or drunk.

Or both.

Regardless, his immediate fascination with her innate sense of cute became sidetracked when he saw that she was looking quite worse for wear. Concerned, he asked her what happened and she replied with a tearful, "I've been searching for 1146 everywhere, but I can't find him!" She sniffled and 2048 felt his nucleus ache at the sound. "I was planning on showing him something neat."

"That's all right, Miss 3803! You two always manage to find each other, right? You'll find him eventually."

"I hope so…" Her lips wobbled before she turned to him with a resigned, but hopeful look on her face. "Hey, have you ever wondered what glucose tastes like?"

2048 was stunned.

That was definitely not what he thought she was going to ask.

Glucose? Neutrophils like himself only ate pure bacteria—unless, of course, the kindly macrophages cooked them or some other cells processed them to make them more palatable. ( _Their attempts were admirable. It's just that invaders always tasted bad no matter how you dressed them up_ ). The very idea of eating glucose was a concept that never crossed his mind.

Sure, back when he was still going through training, he had a passing thought or two when he saw some red blood cells stare at him while he was happily phagocytizing bacteria. He wondered why they were so distraught and found himself mildly bemused when he observed that they eat small cones of glucose. Was it really that filling? It seemed so small...and much too sweet.

Then again, he couldn't tell.

He never thought about taking a bite of the supposed sweet treat that the red blood cells often consumed.

"Well...since it is a sugar, I would assume that it tastes very sweet."

She giggled. "That's because it is! Here, since you're not busy, I'll get you some!"

Before he could utter a word of protest—not that he would have, mind you—the red blood cell rushed off in search of the glucose.

And that's when he felt a certain niggling sensation at the back of his neck. Although the sensation was uncomfortable, it wasn't too unpleasant. In fact, it was quite familiar and easy to pinpoint to say the least.

"You can come out, you know." 2048 turned around to pierce 1146 with a piercing look that would have scared any bacteria witless. "It's not nice to hide in the shadows and eavesdrop."

"Isn't that part of our job description, though?"

"Heh, didn't think you would be a jokester like 2626 or 4989."

"You would be surprised."

"I also didn't peg you for a jealous type."

1146 stopped and stared at his friend with a look bordering on bewilderment dawning realization. For a few moments, much to 2048's growing amusement and 1146's mollification, he dropped and opened his mouth several times.

Was this the answer to the feeling that was engaging in war in his nuclei? Could it be that simple?

However, that brought another question to the forefront of his mind.

Just what was he jealous of?

2048 smirked at the look on his friend's face. Clearly, he was going through some existential crisis.

"Look, man. Miss Red Blood Cell is about to come back any second. Why don't you take a walk and really think about your feelings."

1146 nodded slowly before he headed back into the dark, shrouded hallway.

Just when the edges of his white uniform slipped back into the inky darkness of the transmigration route, the red blood cell managed to bump back into her newest friend.

"Hey, 2048! I got you a new flavor! It's mint!"

She held out the cone of glucose for the neutrophil to inspect before she took a long glance at his face before asking, "Are you all right? You have a weird look on his face."

"Oh? Don't worry about it! Let me taste some of that glucose!"

Behind them, in an alleyway, 1146 paced.

* * *

1146 continued pacing as he slowly came to terms with the fact that his emotions were telling him one thing that he didn't know about himself. With a growing realization, he finally understood that he _liked_ her. He really liked her! It was unsettling, but at the same time, the thought kind of thrilled him.

Immediately, though, he sobered as another train of thought came to mind.

Did Red Blood Cell feel the same way? Or was he asking for too much? Before he could ponder his thoughts further, he felt a slight tap on his shoulder.

"Mr. White Blood Cell!" AE-3803 called out to her white blood cell friend. "Are you all right?"

Embarrassed to be caught in a vulnerable position, especially when he was caught in the middle of thinking about her, the immune cell awkwardly tipped his hat over his uncovered eye.

"Ah, Miss Red Blood Cell! I was just, er—"

Concerned, Red Blood Cell stood on her tiptoes and felt his forehead with the back of her gloved hand. Her diagnosis must have been something worrying since she immediately pulled her hand back. Although a part of him wanted to reassure her that he was quite fine ( _it was only thoughts of her that had him feeling a little off_ ), but it was refreshing to see that she was worrying about him. Usually, he was the one who kept an eye out for her—most notably, during that time he had decided to make sure that she completed her first circulation around the body with no fuss.

Still, though, he was a gentleman. No need to make her fuss over him when there was nothing wrong.

He gently took her hand and smiled down at her.

"Don't worry about me, Red Blood Cell. I was just feeling a little stressed lately. Fighting bacteria gets tiring after a while."

She instantly brightened, but 1146 kept note of the slight doubt that lingered deep in the depths of her amber colored eyes.

"Well, if you're feeling stressed...I have something that could make you feel better!"

1146 looked at her in anticipation.

"And what that may be?"

* * *

"I wanted to have some, too!" AE-3803 pouted as she took the last cone of glucose from the vending machine. It came to no surprise that the vending machine had run out of stock. Really, she was surprised that she managed to get enough cones for the rest of her neutrophil friends. However, that meant she had gone without for the most part because she didn't want to seem selfish. "Well, at least I completed my mission for today," she sighed softly to herself, chiding herself slightly.

She had decided to gift her white blood cell friends glucose over the course of her delivery route because she wanted to know what would happen. (Could neutrophils digest glucose?) There was also the fact that she had never seen a neutrophil eat anything other than the disgusting bacteria. The redhead found that thought sad; how could anyone go through life without the goodness that was freshly made glucose?

She walked back to her best friend and handed him the cone. He looked at the treat with a look of confusion so unlike his usually professional self, that it had her freely laughing.

"Go on, have a bite! Er...I mean, lick it. It's cold."

1146 hesitated for a second before going for it.

For a moment, 1146 was assaulted first by the sudden temperature drop in his mouth and then by the flavor of something so sweet that he could have gagged. He looked down at the coloring of the glucose—it was pink, so strawberry?—and contemplated this new flavor that was assaulting his mouth. Honestly, this was far more palatable than any amount of bacteria that he ever had.

"It has...an interesting taste."

3803 almost deflated before he took another experimental lick before smiling in appreciation.

"I think I like it." He was one his way to take another bite before he noticed that his red blood cell friend wasn't eating her own cone of glucose. His lone eye furrowed even further when he saw that she was looking at his cone with a look of longing. Didn't she eat at her breaks? "Hey, aren't you going to eat glucose as well? I heard that you were making deliveries all day."

She bashfully chuckled.

"Ah… about that...the vending machine ran out of stock. But, don't worry about it, I can—"

AE-3803 suddenly found herself with a mouth full of glucose.

For some odd reason, it was far sweeter than any other glucose she had consumed.

And were her cheeks heating up?

"Oh, erm...hahaha! But this glucose was yours and—"

1146 took her by the hand and led her to a nearby bench, all the while ignoring her protests and exclamations.

"Nonsense. You haven't had glucose all day," he chided her. "It's best that you have some right now. Besides," he shyly brought the brim of his cap over his left eye to hide his reddening cheeks, "I would like sharing this glucose with you."

* * *

2001 sat alone in his marginating pool, feeling strangely rested and lazy. His rounds over the course of his day were nothing but filled with content wanderings around the heart and parts of the circulatory system. Along the way, he had met up with the strange little red blood cell who often got lost and was treated to a cone of glucose. Which, mind you, was quite tasty after some thought, but was initially off-putting due to the low temperature. Despite that, the neutrophil was grateful and enjoyed the rest of his rounds with a sense of contentment.

And now, he was completely rested and alone.

"Yoohoo! 2001, I got some news for you!"

Good grief, what did his loudmouthed friend want now? For a brief moment, 2001 pondered letting him think that was not available when he heard two pairs of accompanying footsteps follow 4989.

"2001, are you here?" 2626 called out. To the other neutrophils, he muttered, "I could have sworn that this was his favorite spot to hide."

2001 sighed before making himself known.

"Hello, 4989. 2626, I don't hide here," the older neutrophil grumbled, "I rest here. Away from the rest of you."

2048 mocked an expression of woe before slapping his friend on the back.

"Aww! I thought that you loved us."

"Emphasis on the last part of that statement. Regardless, what happened?" He directed his question at 4989, who appeared to be rocking back and forth on his heels like a myelocyte itching for a fight with makeshift bacteria.

"1146 and Miss Red Blood Cell were sharing a cone of glucose with each other!"

2001 sighed before he sat back down and leaned back onto the wall of the blood vessel.

"Is that it?"

"What do you mean, 'is that it?" 4989 asked, flabbergasted at his friend's apparent disinterest. Behind the young neutrophil, his two other friends tried to stifle their own bouts of chuckles, but failed. "I just gave the you the biggest news in the body ever and—WHY ARE YOU GUYS LAUGHING LIKE THAT?"

2001 rolled his eyes heavenward before asking for some god out there to ease him out of this misery.

"Honestly, you're just as oblivious as 1146 and that's saying a lot."

* * *

 **Hey, guys! Devin here. :)**

 **Thank you all for your review and favorites for this story and for my other stories. Special thanks to chemicalflashes (on here and tumblr) and lunchtimerushin (tumblr) for their ideas, fan art, and general awesomeness.**

 **Lunchtimerushin, if you're reading this, thanks for answering my anon-ask about the reverse harem** **fan art for Cells at Work/Hataraku Saibou! I honestly didn't think that you would do it, hahaha!**

 **For the reverse harem art, {** **lunchtimerushin. /post/176423331152/b-they-all-like-her- but-know-who- she-really-loves** **}**

 **Lunch also made fan art for chapter 1 (MY FIRST FANART FOR MY WORK EVER! GYAHHHHH, I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN I SAW IT!){** ** _lunchtimerushin. /post/176700071377/ u2001-with-ae3803 -she-stumbles-trips- and_ } **

**Just remove the spaces.**

 **Anywhoozles, continue supporting the fandom and make it explode! Bye, bye! And have a nice day!**


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